A secure supply of energy and chemical products are keystones not only to society but also to our industries. In a sequence of physico-chemical conversion processes raw materials (crude oil, coal or renewable energy) are converted either to secondary energy (mechanical energy or electricity), clean fuels or chemical agents for subsequent processing in chemical industries.
Such conversion processes involve fluid flows and chemical reactions – better known as reactive flows. A detailed understanding of reactive flows is crucial for control, prediction and optimization of such processes. A prominent example for optimization is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions during combustion, still providing more than 80 % of the energy supply worldwide. Economical benefits and ecological challenges are the driving forces for intense research in reacting flows.
Examples
- Researchers of the CRC/TRR 150 investigate the processes of turbulent, chemically reactive multiphase flows near walls. Their research is relevant, e. g., for pollutant formation in combustion systems or catalytic effects.
- The Institute Simulation of reactive Thermo-Fluids Systems focuses on modeling and simulating thermo-fluid dynamic processes, e.g. in internal combustion engines, reactors in process engineering, gas turbines or catalysts.
Reactive systems at the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Prof. Dr. Andreas Dreizler and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hasse give insight into the research at the institutes RSM and STFS.
